MCPS employee charged with alleged assault, trespassing at Silver Spring school 

Incident resulted in lockdown at Glen Haven Elementary, police say

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June 18, 2026 9:33 a.m.

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A Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) employee who had been placed on leave was arrested Wednesday after allegedly trespassing and assaulting school staff inside Glen Haven Elementary School in Silver Spring, Montgomery County police said Wednesday afternoon in a statement. 

Nadine Akoko Sefako Dogbo, 27, of Gaithersburg was charged with trespassing, two counts of second-degree assault and “additional charges related to disrupting the educational process, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct” following the incident at the school at 10900 Inwood Ave., according to the statement. 

The incident occurred the day before classes are scheduled to end for the summer break. 

Dogbo was transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit in Rockville, police said. Dogbo is facing a bond hearing Thursday at 1 p.m. Online court records detailing whether she will be represented by a lawyer were not available as of Thursday morning.

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Dogbo is on leave from MCPS and was formerly assigned to Glen Haven as a teacher, according to MCPS spokesperson Liliana Lopez.  

According to police, officers responded shortly after 11:30 a.m., to the school for the report of a former employee trespassing in the building.  

While officers were en route to the school, they were informed that the person allegedly assaulted school staff and the school was placed in a lockdown.  

In a letter to the school community provided to Bethesda Today, Glen Haven Principal Tara Strain said an “unauthorized former staff member” entered the building, prompting a call to police. The school was placed on lockdown from 11:34 a.m. to 11:49 a.m. while Dogbo, who was not named in the letter, was in the building.  

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MCPS introduced new emergency protocols for the 2025-2026 school year that change the language surrounding actions that schools implement, such as secure and lockdown.  

A lockdown requires students to move away from sight, be quiet and listen to staff members, while adults must gather students from the hallway, if possible. Staff are required to lock the classroom door, not open it and to turn off the lights. Students and staff must stay out of sight and be quiet, and prepare to run or fight.   

After Dogbo left the building, the school transitioned to a secure status from 11:49 a.m. to 12:29 p.m., according to Strain’s letter.  

Implementing a secure status directs students and adults to return to the building or for staff to bring everyone indoors. Staff should lock outside doors, account for all students and adults and conduct “business as usual,” according to the MCPS website. The status is meant to be used when an external threat occurs, such as police activity near schools.

“The school day was able to resume without any additional interruption,” Strain wrote.  

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Police said officers found Dogbo outside the school building and she “ran off” when officers arrived. She was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit. 

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine